Professor Balthazar
Professor Balthazar is able to solve all problems by using his magical machine.[1]
Also known asProfesor Baltazar
GenreAnimated television series
Created byZlatko Grgić
Directed byZlatko Grgić
Boris Kolar
Ante Zaninović
ComposerTomica Simović[1]
Country of originCroatia (Yugoslavia)
Original languageHrvatski
No. of series4
No. of episodes59
Production
Running time5–10 minutes
Production companiesZAGREB FILM d.d.
Windrose Film
Original release
Release1967 (1967) –
1978 (1978)

Professor Balthazar (Croatian: Profesor Baltazar) is a Croatian animated television series for children about an old inventor that was produced between 1967 and 1978. It was created by animator Zlatko Grgić.

The series revolves around benevolent genius Professor Balthazar. In each episode, someone in his surroundings has a problem, which he duly considers and invariably finds a solution to. He then activates a magical machine and produces an invention that will solve the problem.

The characters of the series do not speak in any intelligible language, and the plot of the episodes is instead recounted by a narrator in voice-over.

History

The series was created for television by the Croatian animator Zlatko Grgić at the Zagreb Film studio.[2] Fifty-nine episodes of the cartoon were made between 1967 and 1978.[3]

The cartoon has been shown in subsequent years in several countries besides the former Yugoslavia, including[2] Denmark, Finland, Germany (Westdeutscher Rundfunk), Iran, Italy, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Sweden and Israel.[4] Also, Canada, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

The likely source of the cartoon's popularity is the general absence of violence or force as a means of solving problems. The professor himself is depicted as benevolent and pacifistic, always aiming to solve problems through imagination and reason, as well as ensuring that everyone ends up better off.[5]

From 1971 to 1973, episodes were featured on the American ABC-TV children's program Curiosity Shop. The cartoon inventor was the basis for the show's puppet character, Baron Balthazar, and the cartoons were shown as animated sequences of the Baron's tales of his adventures and inventions back in "beautiful downtown Bosnia".

The cartoon was also shown in the United States in the 1980s on Pinwheel as well as on ABC in Australia and on CCTV in China. The cartoon was also shown in Asia in the 1990s on STAR TV.

In 2011, all 59 episodes have been restored by DVDlab, and published on DVD.[2] A new episode was produced in 2019, "Third time lucky", 52 years after the original show premiered.[6]

Credits

  • Production Company: Zagreb / Windrose-Hamburg for WWF-Cologne
  • Production Supervisor: Z. Pavičić
  • Scripts: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović
  • Directors: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović
  • Animators: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović, T. Paus, L. Fabiani, N. Petrick, S. Drobnić
  • Backgrounds: Zlatko Bourek, Branko Varadin, Srdjan Matić
  • Camera: I. Hercigonja
  • Music: Tomica Simović
  • Music Supervisor: T. Brunšmid
  • Sound: M. Presil
  • Designers: Zlatko Grgić, Boris Kolar, Ante Zaninović

Episodes

Season 1

(Order and titles according to region 2 DVD)

  • The Inventor Of Shoes – May 15, 1967
  • The Flying Fabian – October 10, 1968
  • A Windy Story
  • Maestro Koko – October 10, 1968
  • Of Mouse And Ben – June 20, 1969
  • Starlight Serenaders
  • The Rise And Fall Of Horatio – June 20, 1969
  • Martin Makes It To The Top – June 20, 1969
  • Knitting Pretty
  • Arts And Flowers
  • Lighthouse Keeping – June 20, 1969
  • Victor's Egg-O-Matic
  • Happiness For Two

Season 2

(Order and titles according to region 2 DVD)

  • Doctor Don't Little – December 31, 1970
  • The Night Watchman Must Fall – December 31, 1970
  • Cloud And Clear
  • Steepless Is Fynny
  • Bald Is Beautiful
  • Stumble-Bumps
  • Snow Time For Comedy – December 31, 1970
  • Bim Bam Bum
  • The Grave Little Tailor – December 31, 1970
  • Some Like It Hop
  • For Heaven's Cake
  • Some Like It Cold
  • Somewhat Over The Rainbow

Season 3

(Order and titles according to region 2 DVD)

  • Maxol – January 1, 1977
  • Water We Doing – January 1, 1977
  • Hat-On Flier – January 1, 1977
  • Cloudy With Brawlstorms – January 1, 1977
  • Pirates And Lollipops – January 1, 1977
  • Two Bees Or Not Two Bees – January 1, 1977
  • You're Fired! – January 1, 1977
  • Big-Saw Puzzle – January 1, 1977
  • Vanilla Monster – January 1, 1977
  • Lion's Share – January 1, 1977
  • Tenderfeet Centipede – January 1, 1977
  • Peppino Cicerone – January 1, 1977
  • Mike On The Bike – January 1, 1977

Season 4

(Order and titles according to region 2 DVD)

  • Crazy Times
  • Heart On Fire
  • The Sad Little Ghost
  • Two Top Hats
  • Dancing Willy Hik
  • Playing Tag
  • The Lost Rabbit
  • Clown Daniel
  • Abraham The Busy Shoemaker
  • Opera Star
  • Axel The Penguin
  • Business Is Business
  • Bird
  • Sporting Life
  • Champion
  • Street Musicians
  • The Great Snoring
  • The Trials Of Love
  • Happiness On Wings
  • An Endless Deviltry

Legacy

Professor Balthazar statue in Zagreb

American animator and creator Craig McCracken called Professor Balthazar 'brilliant', citing it as a significant design influence for his 2013 show Wander Over Yonder.[7][8]

References

  1. 1 2 Nina Ožegović (4 December 2006). "Hoćemo Baltazara za simbol grada Zagreba" [We want Balthazar as a symbol of the city]. Nacional (in Croatian). No. 577. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Ed Meza (19 October 2017). "Lumière Festival: 'Gertie the Dinosaur,' 'Professor Balthazar' Reanimated After Restorations". Variety. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  3. ↑ "Professor Balthazar". zagrebfilm.hr. Zagreb Film. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "TV scheduled for 17/2/1976 17:50".
  5. ↑ "Our Leaders, Sadly, Learned Nothing from Balthazar". 17 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "Jutarnji list - LEGENDARNI CRTIĆ UZ KOJEG SMO ODRASLI NAPOKON SE VRAĆA! U Zagrebu nakon 52 godine premijerno prikazana nova epizoda 'Profesora Baltazara'". 21 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Zahed, Ramin. "McCracken's 'Wander Over Yonder' Premieres Tonight". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  8. ↑ McCracken, Craig. "Craig McCracken on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
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